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Belinda Bardas has spent a life time enriched by family, business and community. First developing her skills within the family fashion retail business (15 yrs 1982-1997) learning from the ground up encompassing; sales design, product development and group management, and later in running her own business. Belinda then spent a further 11 years in the wellness industry after retraining as a naturopath, coach and wellbeing facilitator. Her background and experience has led her to work in diversified roles for 25 years in both sectors. Belinda is currently a Non-Executive Director and Trustee of the Victor Smorgon Family Group of companies whose focus is on retail, property, equities and philanthropy. Belinda’s general interests include holistic health and wellbeing, art and impact philanthropy. Belinda is passionate about creativity and innovation and starts with the premise “what if”.

Belinda Bardas
Barry Brott

Barry is one of the founders of Square Peg Capital. He has deep experience in early stage investment through working across the venture portfolio of Jagen Pty Ltd, a Melbourne-based family office. He now manages a number of Square Peg's investments. 

 

Prior to joining Jagen and founding Square Peg, Barry headed corporate development and strategy at MYOB Limited, an ASX listed software company, and before then worked in corporate development at Village Roadshow Limited. 

Prior to his corporate roles, Barry held advisory positions at Merrill Lynch and the corporate finance and tax divisions of KPMG. Barry holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Economics from Monash University.

Nicky Carp

Nicky Carp is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Unified Healthcare Group (UHG).

 

Nicky has more than two decades’ experience in the healthcare sector, initially with law firm Philips Fox and then as the Co-Founder of UHG.

Nicky joined UHG in 1999, a year after her husband founded the company. Together they have successfully built a marketplace connecting business and healthcare providers. Nicky has been a UHG board member since inception and chairs the Financial & Risk Committee.
 

For the past 17 years, Nicky has overseen areas including legal, accounting, IT and HR. In 2014, UHG hired a CEO to lead the business and since then, Nicky continues to provide financial and strategic input.

Nicky is Treasurer for NGO Stand Up – Jewish Commitment to a Better World; and she has previously been a women’s mentor in the Foundation For Young Australians (FYA) Young Social Pioneers program.

She has Bachelor degrees in Law, Economics and Accounting from Monash University, co-authored a best-selling first aid book, and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Scale Investors. Nicky is proud mum of 3 teenage boys.

 

Brian started his working career at the age of 18. After leaving school he commenced a marketing course at Chisolm Institute, but left after six months to commence his first entrepreneurial endeavour, a clothing company called Moose Enterprize. After two years, he was persuaded to take over his fathers knitwear factory in addition to his sisters successful clothing brand, Lindy Lane. In 1987, Brian had a major motor bike accident, unable to reach his shoes, the physiotherapist suggested a stretch shoe lace to help him tie up his shoes. This led to the idea to design and manufacture Moose's Crazy Laces™ which gave him his first foray in to the toy industry. Moose quickly became a leader in the toy industry and was known for developing cutting edge, award winning toys. Moose products were sold to every major retailer in Australia and worldwide, with TV advertising supporting major product launches. Brian successfully sold Moose in 2002 and Moose products continues to be a leader in the market today.

 

That same year, Brian started another business called Buzz products with his cousin Barry Gold, later his brother Leonard Hamersfeld joined the business. Buzz products core business is the design and manufacture of products for the airline industry. Buzz currently employs over 120 people with offices in Australia and abroad. Buzz is the recipient of several awards, including being recognised as BRW’s third most innovative company.

Brian Hammersfeld
Gabby Leibovich

Gabby began his career in retail selling electrical goods.  He saw the potential of the internet to deliver better value for customers and in early 2006, with his younger brother, founded CatchOfTheDay – now Australia's most visited ecommerce business based on an online retail model offering ‘a deal a day’. With a vision to build Australia’s #1 ecommerce group, operating in a number of niche sectors, Leibovich looks to markets, where he can bring about price competition and deliver better value to shoppers. 

The Catch group now also operates Scoopon, Mumgo and Groceryrun and employs 400 staff.

 

Quentin Miller

Quentin has over 20 years experience in investment banking and corporate finance. During his 17 years at UBS, Quentin advised public and private companies and private equity firms on a variety of strategic and financing initiatives with particular emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, divestments, capital raisings, IPOs, restructures and general corporate advice. 
 

Quentin is a co-founder of Impact Generation Partners, providing corporate advisory services to companies that produce both social and/or environmental and financial returns, and to family offices. He is also the Managing Director of Intrinsic Partners, a boutique independent corporate advisory practice. Quentin advises and works closely with Boards of Directors, management teams and investors.

 

Quentin is a member of the Fundraising Committee of SecondBite. He is a Board member of Hireup, the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation at Monash University and the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation.

Sam Schachna

Sam has over 15 years of experience across the FMCG, Financial and IT Advisory Services industries.

 

Sam’s professional career commenced at KPMG, where for over six years he led projects and provided strategic, regulatory and financial advice to leading blue-chip clients.

 

In 2008, Sam joined Menora Foods, a national leader in fast moving consumer goods. Menora is a marketer and distributor of some of Australia’s most trusted brands including Chobani, Cobram Estate and Philips Lighting and also developed and owns the highly successful brands Wattle Valley and Peckish. As Managing Director, Sam led a nation-wide team of over 150 staff with responsibility across domestic and international operations. Under Sam’s leadership, Menora developed an innovative business model and invested in their people, brands and infrastructure that took the business to unprecedented levels of growth. In 2015, Menora was acquired by Monde Nissin, one of the leading branded food manufacturers in the ASEAN region.

Sharon Thurin

 

Sharon Thurin founded Slim Secrets, a range of nutritionally balanced health snack products, through her experiences with weight loss patients and a desire to curb unhealthy snacking habits. Now Sharon’s idea has evolved into a rapidly expanding global business. Stocked across Australian supermarkets and convenience stores, pharmacies, gyms, health food stores, airlines and in 12 countries around the world (and growing), Slim Secrets is one of Australia’s biggest success stories in the health market.

 

Sharon is married with three grown up kids and understands the pressures on people with busy lifestyles. She is a qualified lawyer and secondary teacher who has written a best-selling first aid book for children and has also worked with some top specialists in Australia to set up an anti-aging clinic. Sharon has received countless accolades and awards including Healthy Eating/Product of the Year Awards, Smart Company Best New/Start Up Product Award and she was selected as a Victorian finalist in the Telstra Business Women’s Awards.

 

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